Excerpt and Photo from stvincenttimes.com
New Waste CharacterisationReports are in for Dominica and Grenada. The findings are critical for tailoring the Recycle OECS Model framework to the waste landscape of these Member States. Dominica and Grenada are selected OECS territories implementing Model Demonstration projects, paving the way for the rest of the OECS Waste Management sector.
Dominica:For Dominica, the Waste Characterisation exercise could not have been more urgent, as plastic usage trends have significantly altered the waste landscape from 2002 when the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation last conducted a waste study. Between July 22 – 28, 2023, the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation (DSWMC) conducted a dual waste classification exercise covering co-mingled municipal solid waste and source-separated recyclable packaging waste at the Fond Cole Sanitary Landfill Site. It also sought to identify the sub-categories of plastics within the waste stream and assess the potential for recycling under the Recycle OECS initiative.
According to the 2023 Study report, plastics make up 24% of Dominica’s solid waste stream with film plastics being the dominant component at 53%. Plastics rank second to organics, at 29%, followed by paper and paperboard at 17%. Within the Recycle OECS project’s focus on PET and HDPE plastics, a detailed breakdown shows film plastics at 53%, Clear PET at 24%, Other plastics at 15%, and HDPE containers at 8%.